is an area of your kitchen that is often forgotten, and yet plays a major role your entire kitchen. If your flooring is keeping you in the past, try switching from your traditional rolled vinyl or linoleum flooring to a more resilient, timeless material — we’re talking wood, tile, or stone.

Remove items that can find a home in other places: in many kitchen pantries the storage is adequate, but the pantry is being used for a catchall of other items too. The kitchen trash can, recycle bins, and storage of large items like pet food, and bulk beverages can find a new place in your home. Consider installing under counter/sink trash cans and recycle bins to free up space in the pantry. Bulk items may be able to be housed in the garage in an air tight bin, or in a laundry room or utility closet that has more space than the kitchen pantry.

Your kitchen appliances in your home make up the one of the largest investments for your pocket, as well as your time, which equates to functionality for your lifestyle in the kitchen. Buying kitchen appliances can be a daunting task when you look at all of the options, from energy saving, to high end designer models, to low cost models, how do you choose? Here are tips to guide your through the buying process and to help you feel informed and confident with your kitchen appliance buying decisions.